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Here Come the Littles
| starring = Gregg Berger Bettina Bush Pat Fraley Robert David Hall Jimmy Keegan Mona Marshall Alvy Moore | music = Shuki Levy Haim Saban | editing = Philippe Kotlarski Masatoshi Tsurubuchi | studio = ABC Entertainment DIC Entertainment | distributor = Atlantic Releasing | released = | runtime = 72 minutes | country = United States Canada Japan France | language = English | budget = | gross = $6.6 million }} '''Here Come the Littles' is a 1985 American animated fantasy film based on the 1983-1985 ABC network cartoon series "The Littles" which was adapted by the book series by John Peterson. Plot Henry Bigg learns that his parents have been lost during an archaeological trip to Africa although the remains of their plane have been found. His Uncle Augustus, says his housekeeper Mrs. Evans is his next of kin and therefore his legal guardian. Thus, Henry moves to Augustus' residence, as the uncle neither wants to have a housekeeper nor move to his nephew's house. Meanwhile, Tom and Lucy Little (two of the tiny people inside the walls of Henry's house) snag an apple that Mrs. Evans had left for Henry. They repay the boy by finding his lucky rabbit's foot and sneaking it in his suitcase. But then they are carried away to Augustus' house, trapped inside the luggage. Another two of the tiny creatures, Grandpa and Dinky, soon find them. There, the Littles soon learn of Augustus' ill-tempered and mean-spirited ways: He treats Henry more like a slave, and is planning on replacing his nephew's house with a shopping mall. While the creatures try to escape, Henry discovers Grandpa and Dinky, not knowing who—or what—they are. Augustus also sees them, but mistaking them for toys, grabs them from Henry and locks them in the desk drawer in his study. Here, Dinky and Grandpa discover that Augustus forged the documents in order to become Henry's legal guardian, as well as to steal and redevelop the Biggs' property. To rescue those two, Lucy persuades Tom to talk to Henry—a bold move, considering that humans never knew about the creatures until recently. Grandpa and Dinky, whom Henry finds inside the study, both prove the evidence of Augustus' fraud. Before Augustus locks him inside his room, Henry soon creates a diversion allowing Tom and Lucy to save them. Eventually, Lucy and Tom are hungry, and begin to search for food. Tom gets trapped in a jar of honey, and a change of plans ensues: the Littles must rescue Henry before they can save Tom. At first Grandpa resists, but consents since Henry has already met them. After several attempts to escape, the Littles finally flee away aboard their gas-powered toy plane, but cause a garage fire that wakes up Augustus. Henry attempts to go to the police station, but gets lost and is eventually caught by his uncle. The Littles, however, distract Augustus long enough for Henry to run down there. Meanwhile, Augustus orders the demolition crew by phone to start tearing down the Biggs' place. When the Littles get to Henry's house, they split up; Grandpa looks for Mr. and Mrs. Little while the others try to sabotage the bulldozer. Both plans succeed just in the nick of time. The moment Augustus arrives, policemen arrest him. In the end, Henry is reunited with Mrs. Evans, and prepares to meet his rediscovered parents at the airport. He casts a knowing wink at the gate, as the Littles watch on. Voice Cast *Jimmy E. Keegan as Henry Bigg *Bettina Bush as Lucy Little *Donavan Freberg as Tom Little *Hal Smith as Uncle Augustus *Gregg Berger as William Little *Patricia Parris as Helen Little *Alvy Moore as Grandpa Little *Robert David Hall as Dinky Little *Mona Marshall as Mrs. Evans Reception Box Office Through weekend matinee showings, "Here Come the Littles" grossed $6.5 million at the box office. Critical Reception The movie received negative reviews from cirtics. Candice Russell of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel wrote: "It has all the panache of a Saturday morning cartoon and just about as much heart. It's even in the same mode of repetitive crises every third minute". The Los Angeles Times‍ ' Charles Solomon said, "It boasts an international pedigree more complicated—and interesting—than its storyline." In his Movie Guide, Leonard Maltin gave it 1½ stars out of four and called it a "silly, boring animated effort". Likewise, the Blockbuster Entertainment Guide to Videos and Movies gave it two stars and recommended it "for fans of the Littles book series only". In Jerry Beck's Animated Movie Guide, he gave it only one star and commented: "The film raises issues of homelessness, the loss of parents, and the importance of family and friends, in a mild, one-dimensional way." Along with Russell, he criticized the "bland style" of the animation, which was outsourced in Japan. A review in the San Francisco Chronicle stated that Here Come the Littles "is an OK, though hardly memorable, entertainment for small children. Come to think of it, pity the runts of today who get nothing but mediocre big screen fare—when they get it at all". Category:1985 films Category:1980s films Category:Atlantic Releasing films Category:American animated films Category:Films based on television series Category:American children's fantasy films